ROGERSVILLE - A Hawkins County jury convicted Jose Luis Galban, 23, of North Augusta, S.C., of simple possession of cocaine Thursday following a trial in circuit court. Galban went on trial Thursday on a charge of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, which could have resulted in an eight-year prison sentence if he was found guilty. The charge stemmed from a traffic stop in which about 3.5 grams of cocaine divided into 16 separate packages was seized. Attorney General Berkeley Bell said following the trial that because there were other people in the car with Galban at the time of the traffic stop who were not charged, questions were raised during the trial as to who actually owned the drugs. Galban was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in jail and fined $2,500, but was also to be held in jail for federal immigration authorities.

ROGERSVILLE - Hawkins County Sheriff Roger Christian said Thursday a report Monday of the theft of a trailer containing $2 million worth of T-shirts turned out to be a misunderstanding. A Rogersville man told investigators Tuesday he had unhooked the trailer from the tractor he was driving at Town and Country Market at approximately 10 p.m. Monday, and when he returned three and a half hours later the trailer was gone. As it turned out, the man, who was employed by a Madisonville trucking company, was apparently being terminated by his employer. Christian said company officials used an electronic tracking device to find the trailer and recover it, unbeknownst to the driver. Christian said it is his understanding that the man is no longer employed by that trucking company.

ELIZABETHTON - A pharmacy technician at an Elizabethton drugstore has been arrested on a charge that she stole drugs from her employer. Jennifer Mynatt, 33, 228 Brown St., Bluff City, was charged with theft over $1,000 following an investigation by the Elizabethton Police Department. EPD Investigator Will Johnson said the investigation was started after an inventory check at Walgreens Pharmacy, Broad Street, indicated the store was short 440 tablets of diazepam and 1,628 tablets of hydrocodone. Johnson said Mynatt was interviewed and admitted she would conceal the medication in her clothing while she filled prescriptions. The medication was valued at more than $1,000.

ROGERSVILLE - The Hawkins County 911 board of directors voted unanimously Thursday to return 911 Director Gay Murrell back to full duty. Murrell had been placed on restricted duty by the board late last month after her daughter swore out an assault complaint against her. This past Monday the daughter asked Sessions Judge David Brand to drop the charge, and the charge was dismissed. Murrell apologized to the board for any embarrassment the incident may have caused.